Hashimotos? Desperate please help

[Lisac13909]

Hi, I’m new here. My tp ab are in the thousands. I have a goiter, I suffer a lot. Very cold ALL the time, heavy periods, tired, weight gain just sluggish all the time. My tsh. Is 1.7 and my free t4 is 16.9 all in the normal range. I’m sat here in the hot weather with blankets and hot water bottle. It’s getting to me. The endocrinologists won’t help they are saying it’s likely to do with my ab but say they can’t treat me. I got a second opinion and They said I have symptoms of Hashimoto but my bloods are pointing towards graves. Can anyone please help. I’m so fed up and feeling more and more depressed with it all.

[Cooper27]

Have a look at Izabella Wentz for details of how to reduce antibodies. There are lots of things that can help, for example, trialling gluten/dairy/soya free.

You need to optimise your thyroid levels, so do you have the reference ranges for your T4 result? Any T3 test results? Your TSH is a little high, so there is scope to increase medication.

[Lisac13909 in reply to Cooper27]

I’m not on any medication at present

[Cooper27 in reply to Lisac13909]

Definitely check out Izabella Wentz then. I had lots of thyroid symptoms with marginally elevated antibodies, but not yet ill enough for medication, so I can sympathise with your situation (although my antibodies were only about 100, so I'm marvelling you're still standing). The Hashimotos Protocol helped me bring antibodies within range (for now) and I can function again.

There's no guarantees you'll forever stave off the Hashimotos, but it's worth a try. You should still get thyroid levels tested regularly to monitor in case you do need medication in the future.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Just testing TSH and Ft4 is completely inadequate

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially as you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies

Ask GP to test vitamin levels

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)

Is this how you do your tests?

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin

medichecks.com/products/thy...

Medichecks often have special offers, if order on Thursdays

Thriva Thyroid plus vitamins

thriva.co/tests/thyroid-test

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes vitamins

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

you have high antibodies this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease).

Hashimoto's frequently affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels

Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working

Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten. Dairy is second most common.

According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps, sometimes significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies

While still eating high gluten diet ask GP for coeliac blood test first or buy test online for under £20, just to rule it out first

Assuming test is negative you can immediately go on strictly gluten free diet

(If test is positive you will need to remain on high gluten diet until endoscopy, maximum 6 weeks wait officially)

Trying gluten free diet for 3-6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

amymyersmd.com/2018/04/3-re...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Non Coeliac Gluten sensitivity (NCGS) and autoimmune disease

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/296...

The predominance of Hashimoto thyroiditis represents an interesting finding, since it has been indirectly confirmed by an Italian study, showing that autoimmune thyroid disease is a risk factor for the evolution towards NCGS in a group of patients with minimal duodenal inflammation. On these bases, an autoimmune stigma in NCGS is strongly supported

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/300...

The obtained results suggest that the gluten-free diet may bring clinical benefits to women with autoimmune thyroid disease

nuclmed.gr/wp/wp-content/up...

In summary, whereas it is not yet clear whether a gluten free diet can prevent autoimmune diseases, it is worth mentioning that HT patients with or without CD benefit from a diet low in gluten as far as the progression and the potential disease complications are concerned

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Despite the fact that 5-10% of patients have Celiac disease, in my experience and in the experience of many other physicians, at least 80% + of patients with Hashimoto's who go gluten-free notice a reduction in their symptoms almost immediately.

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

Frequently correcting low vitamin levels significantly improves symptoms and may increase TSH so that GP will start levothyroxine

Come back with new post once you get full thyroid and vitamin results